The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for and method of shipping one or more child-resistant medicate containers and, more specifically, to a child-resistant medicate container that is configured to store and/or dispense medicate, such a pills, capsules, tablets and/or liquid medicine, and is sized and shaped for ease of shipping, packaging and/or transporting one or more containers in a relatively thin, flat-rate package.
Medicate or pharmaceutical products, such as pills, capsules, tablets and/or liquid medicine, are typically packaged in child-resistant medicate containers having a generally cylindrical base or housing with an open first end and an opposite closed second end. A cap or cover is rotatably mounted to the open end of the base and typically requires the user to perform a distinct finger and/or hand motion to remove the cap from the base. Unfortunately, conventional containers have several drawbacks. For example, the shape of cylindrical or circular child-resistant medicate containers makes it expensive and inefficient to ship, package and/or transport multiple containers in a single package. The cost of shipping or transporting the containers increases as the number or size of the packages increases. In addition, expensive specifically-designed packaging is necessary to properly hold the conventional medicate containers and often results in unused or wasted space within the packaging. Further, due to the shape of conventional child-resistant medicate containers, information labels can be difficult to properly apply to the base or cap. Furthermore, since conventional child-resistant medicate containers include two separable parts (i.e., the base and the cap), problems arise when a user inadvertently misplaces one of these components.
Therefore, it would be desirable to create a child-resistant medicate container and an apparatus for shipping same that eliminates the above-identified deficiencies of conventional child-resistant medicate containers. Specifically, it would be desirable to create a child-resistant medicate container that is generally flat and/or rectangular in shape such that multiple containers can be easily and/or conveniently placed inside a flat-rate box and/or packaging from a carrier without wasting space. Further, it would be desirable to create a child-resistant medicate container having substantially planer and/or flat surfaces, such that various labels can be easily and/or conveniently applied thereto. Furthermore, it would be desirable to create a child-resistant medicate container for holding and/or dispensing pharmaceutical products, in which the various components of the container cannot inadvertently be separated and/or removed from each other once the container is assembled. The present invention accomplishes the above objectives.